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Interview with Gary Hustwit, Director of "Helvetica"

Fri, May 4, 2007

If you needed something designed last night you were likely out of luck as Columbus's graphic design community turned out to see the area premiere of the new documentary Helvetica, introduced by director Gary Hustwit. The film lived up to its hype and then some as it proved to be an insightful and provocative history of the ubiquitous font and the broad issues and divisions within the design community. It also made me wonder if all graphic designers have such clean desks.

Hustwit is on tour with the film (arriving from Kansas City and heading to Montreal) and it is playing to sold-out audiences wherever he travels. I asked him if he's surprised by the film's reception and he responded: ‚ÄúImagine if no one had ever made a film on the history of rock and then all of sudden one appeared. That's what it's been like with this film.‚Äù

Gary is also the President of Plexifilm (distributor of the Wilco doc I am Trying to Break Your Heart, among many others) and we hope to have him back in the future for a series devoted to music documentaries.